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Post by Jim on Aug 28, 2008 13:55:43 GMT -5
So my family has property about an hour from my home on a lake. There is a good area that I could plant that gets lots of sun. I have well water so watering could be done with a timer. My biggest constraint is that I often go a few weeks between when I visit. I was thinking about planting a few rows of maters. Once they are planted I can set a timer to water them. Once harvesting time comes I can go up weekly. I really cant think of a really usefull "crop" that can go unattended that much other than bramble fruit and I don't want perenials. Maybe onions or taters??Looking for input on this one.
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Post by Jim on Aug 28, 2008 16:57:01 GMT -5
the more I think about this one the more I'm thinking taters and onions.
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Post by Alan on Aug 28, 2008 20:30:25 GMT -5
The question you have to ask yourself is do the ends justify the means? Does the payoff offset the distance and money required for the trip and is any of your family interested in helping take care of a communal garden? If so I would go with it for sure. If it fills your pantry come fall it could definetly be worth it!
-Alan
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Post by plantsnobin on Aug 28, 2008 20:54:04 GMT -5
Well, how about just moving there?
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Post by canadamike on Aug 28, 2008 21:58:03 GMT -5
Onions need weeding maybe a little too much for you, unless, and I would strongly recommend it for them as much as for other crops, you use black plastic mulch. I know nothing else that could permit you to be away for long periods of time while insuring success. This summer, despite the most ugly wheater in the last 60 years, my pepper patch is beautifull, my melon patch is mostly alive and weed free, my sweet potatoes are growing beautifully. Everything under plastic is OK. And still weed free. You won't be around, so grow mostly everything, even celery ( forget root crops unless transplanted) but grow it so weeds won't take over. I have 100 melon plants, and once planted, I did NOTHING to them ( certainly not water them  ). I will harvest soon, melons and peppers and sweet taters, the melons are a small harvest but nothing can help when it is cold and rainy all the time, and harvesting will be the only other thing I will have done once these were planted. I would grow on black plastic... |
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Post by Jim on Aug 29, 2008 17:06:44 GMT -5
Can't move there. Pesky job. We go fairly regularly in the summer. I'll have to mull it over.
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Post by flowerpower on Aug 31, 2008 5:25:26 GMT -5
I know you said you didn't want perennials, but it would be a good place for hops. They don't really require much attention.
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Post by johno on Aug 31, 2008 7:30:09 GMT -5
How much area are we talking about, if I may ask? That would tie in with Alan's question about the end justifying the means. I also wonder because it ties in with your plan of attack regarding watering and mulching systems, etc., which will be essential when you only visit every few weeks. Big enough to need a tractor? have one? What kind of automated watering - drip, flood, overhead spray?
Why not perennials? They might make a lot of sense in this instance.
Peppers are another annual that doesn't require constant attention.
Garlic, leeks, shallots... same deal about the weeds as Michel pointed out concerning onions, but heavy organic mulch takes care of that. All three of these alliums are easy to grow and quite valuable these days at the farmer's market, which could offset some of the cost of travel.
Something else comes to mind that I don't ordinarily condone: you could plan on preventative spraying every three weeks or so. Get a jug of neem and spray before you leave each time. It is organic (oil from tree seeds) and will slow down insect feeding, if that's a problem where you live. It also acts as a fungicide. It really helps keep the tomatoes alive several weeks longer for me. The downside is, it may be harmful to bees - I think the jury's still out on that one - so be careful about spraying it in their favorite flowers (especially squash). Timing helps in this department (spray late or early, when flowers are closed.)
If you have potato beetle problems there, mulching with straw slows them down. That could be the difference between having a crop or not with infrequent visits.
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Post by canadamike on Aug 31, 2008 9:51:17 GMT -5
Another thing I forgot to mention is that corn gluten ( animal feed) is an excellent anti-germinative. Don't use it if you seed a crop, but you can incorporate it in the top of your soil and on top of it for transplanted veggies.
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Post by flowerpower on Sept 1, 2008 6:42:09 GMT -5
Being near a lake means alot of wildlife is around too. So you're gonna have to plant things the deer, coons, and bunnies are not that fond of
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Post by Jim on Sept 1, 2008 16:02:29 GMT -5
I thought about it a lot this weekend. I can keep the deer out but the coons would be bad. I think for this coming year I'll forget about this land. I should concentrate my efforts to my home area. If that goes well maybe the following year I'll attack the lake plot. The total size I'm talking about stretched the "farming" thing. Its about 60*90 max.
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Post by plantsnobin on Sept 1, 2008 18:56:19 GMT -5
Even if you don't plant anything next year, you could go ahead and plant cover crops in the meantime. By the time you are able to plant, you will be glad that you did.
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jason
gardener
Posts: 246
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Post by jason on Sept 1, 2008 19:16:46 GMT -5
What is growing there now? Is it wild or just grass?
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Post by Jim on Sept 1, 2008 19:23:25 GMT -5
grass mostly. Soil isn't very good either.
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Post by canadamike on Sept 1, 2008 20:08:14 GMT -5
I'd grow hairy vetch. It has the advantage of feeding the soil and being usable as mulch later, just cut and laid on the ground.
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